“Be careful,” the captain of the guards said to the party as they followed after the carriage, “We’re entering brigand territory now, so keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”
“You got it,” Andy nodded, the rest of the party copying him as they walked.
It was the fifth day of their journey, only two more days of travelling before they reached the city of Evesun, and they were walking through another forest. The last two days had seen them moving through hilly fields, creatures grazing a short distance from the road, the party eagerly using their [Observe] Skill on the large beasts.
Highland Buffoola
Beast
Level: 12
“Damn, the monsters are getting higher level,” Shadow had muttered, fingering his daggers as he looked at the rest of the party, “Do you think they’ll be mad if we go hunt some of them?”
“Probably,” Andy had chuckled, “We were hired to watch the carriage, not gain levels. Anyway, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to hunt once we get to Eversun, and I bet the mobs around there will be even stronger.”
That had ended that conversation, the party just chatting about nothing in particular as they made their way down the road.
“Is it just me, or is this whole thing kind of boring?” Shadow sighed as he looked into the trees lining the edges of the road, “Nothing’s really happened in five days, and we’re almost done with the Quest.”
“Don’t tempt fate,” Miri hummed, punching the Rogue lightly on the arm, “Murphy’s Law will come bite you in the ass.”
“And I’d welcome it,” Shadow muttered, looking over to Jake as the Champion ranged slightly ahead of the group, Eta at his side as they watched the road ahead, “At least Jakey seems to be enjoying himself.”
Jake, for his part, was taking careful stock of the surroundings, keeping his eyes on the road ahead and forest around them. It was already midday, and they were supposed to be about halfway to their next stop, but he had a strange feeling in his chest. Checking the road again, he blinked as a strange, yet familiar mark lit up in his vision a short distance away. Looking down at Eta, he jogged forwards, kneeling beside the mark and inspecting it.
It looked like the track from a wagon wheel, except it was at a ninety-degree angle to the road, Jake looking up in the direction it was heading. It wasn’t hard for him to spot the dirt ramp leading into a gap in the trees, branches and bushes disturbed as he spotted the hidden wagon. Curious, he looked the other way, spotting a similar set up on the other side of the road. Standing, he lifted his hand in the universal sign for ‘stop’, the carriage slowing to halt as Andy and the rest of the party approached him.
“What’s up, Jakey?” Andy asked, looking around as Jake muttered to them.
“Not sure, but I think this is an ambush,” he said softly, “There are carts full of rocks on either side of the road, probably to make a barricade when a merchant or carriage come by.”
“Probably bandits, then,” Sophie nodded, looking at Shadow as the Rogue grinned, “Seems you’ll be getting you action after all.”
“Awesome!” Shadow hummed happily, “So, how do we do this?”
“What’s the problem?” the captain growled as he approached them, “You called for a stop in the middle of brigand country, why?”
“Because of them,” Jake said flatly as he pointed into the woods, just barely able to make out some of the figures hidden in the trees before he called out, “We know you’re there. Let us pass and there will be no need for bloodshed.”
“Damn,” a gruff voice sighed as a large, muscle-bound man stepped out from his hiding place a short distance up the road, hefting a large two-handed axe over his shoulder, “We’ve been had, lads and ladies! Well, might as well make introductions.”
“Wait…” the captain of the guards gasped, obviously frightened as he stared at the six-and-a-half-foot tall man, “Y-you’re ‘Flame Axe’ Oswald! What are you doing here? You were last seen far to the south of Eversun!”
“Huh, seems my reputation precedes me,” the man laughed, running a hand through his messy beard, “Well, guess that just makes this easier.”
Jake quickly used [Observe] on the man as he continued to speak, eyes going wide at what he saw.
‘Flame Axe’ Oswald
Human Bandit World Boss
Level: 20
“What’s a World Boss doing here? And he’s level twenty to boot,” Andy whispered as the party tensed, readying to fight, even Miri pulling out a large two-handed hammer, the man chuckling as he spoke.
“Let’s make this simple,” Oswald hummed, “I have thirty of my crew poised and ready to take you lot on, but that’s not what we’re here for. Just hand over the little lady, and we’ll even be kind enough to let the rest of you run back to Dusk Keep with your tails between your legs.”
“W-we can’t allow that!” the captain shouted, the rest of the guards moving to surround the carriage as they drew their swords and readied their shields, “We are the elite of Dusk Keep’s guard! We will not fall so easily!”
“Right, we were given a job, and we’re gonna do it,” Andy growled, drawing his Mace as he lifted his own shield, “Right guys?”
“Yeah,” Sophie said, raising her wand as she glanced nervously into the woods, Holi preparing her staff, “So, how are we going to do this?”
“No idea,” Andy chuckled under his breath, “Just follow my lead.”
“Oh?” Oswald hummed, Jake feeling his Ring of Obfuscation pulse as the man ran his eyes over the party, “A group of Travellers? Not too tough, but still might prove a problem. How much you getting paid? Pretty sure I could match, if not exceed the amount.”
“None of your business,” Andy growled, glancing at Jake as he muttered, “Think you could hold this guy off long enough for us to clean up the adds, Jakey?”
“Only one way to find out,” Jake muttered back, drawing Alpha’s Fang and his Ritual Dagger of the Wilds, the strange spark igniting in his chest as he stared down the large bandit.
“Right, you handle him, we’ll join you soon as the rest are safe,” Andy nodded, spinning around, and hurrying to join the eight other guards already surrounding the carriage.
“Huh,” Oswald laughed, “So it’s going to be a one-on-one fight, is it? Never fought a Traveller before, so I hope you can last a while.”
“Who said it was one-on-one?” Jake grinned as the man looked at him in surprise, Eta’s jaws suddenly clamping around his calf and yanking at his leg as the Shadow Wolf leapt from the darkness of the forest, throwing him off balance.
“Damn mutt!” the bandit shouted, swiping at Eta with his axe, the Shadow wolf easily dodging out of the way of the slow swing, “Fine! I’ll kill both of you and then turn your hound into a new loincloth!”
“Bring it on,” Jake smiled, the fire in his chest growing as he charged towards the man.
------
Andy panted slightly as he blocked the sword strike from the bandit, quickly using [Observe] on the woman as she danced back out of his reach before he could swing his mace at her.
???
Human Bandit
Level: 15
“Dammit, they all out level us!” he grunted, glancing at one of the guards to see his information as well.
Dusk Keep Guard
Human Guard
Level: 10
“This isn’t looking good,” Sophie huffed as she threw a bolt of flame into a man’s chest, knocking him back as he screamed in pain, before the flames went out and he snarled at the Mage, “We’re barely holding on, and Holi is healing everyone! She’ll be out of Mana soon!”
Andy glanced over at the party’s Priestess, sweat already forming on her forehead as she cast Spell after Spell on the party and the guards. Andy cringed as another of the guards was cut down by one of the numerous bandits, barely standing before an arrow slammed into his chest, dropping him to the ground.
“Shadow,” Andy grunted as he barely managed to block another strike from the female bandit, “You better be doing your job!”
------
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Shadow Walker was certainly doing his job. Of the ten archers perched in the trees around the ambush site, four on one side of the road were already dead, and the last remaining one seemed none the wiser to his presence. The Rogue, and soon to be Assassin if he had anything to say about it, hovered just behind the bandit, who was watching the fight on the road closely, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Shadow didn’t let them find it.
His Honed Iron Dagger, courtesy of Miri, sliced through the man’s throat easily, taking him by surprise as he clutched at the bleeding wound, turning to see Shadow just as he broke out of [Sneak]. The man coughed as he grabbed at his own dagger, swiping it at the Rogue as Shadow jumped back, dropping to the ground, and getting ready to dash across the road to the other side to start picking off the archers there as well.
You have gained a large amount of experience.
Experience modifier detected.
Calculating…
You have gained a huge amount of experience.
You have levelled up to level 11!
Allocating Stat Points…
Stat Points Allocated.
Shadow almost whistled in appreciation at the level up, having only had to take out five enemies to get it, compared to the slog of hunting deer in the forests around Dusk Keep. He wanted to check his Character Screen to see where the points had gone, but he resisted the urge, instead dashing out into the road as he activated [Sneak] again. Clearing the gap, he immediately started looking for his next target, quickly spotting them in the tree just in front of him.
A smile graced his lips as he slipped behind them, silently scaling the tree and readying his Honed Iron Dagger once again.
------
Miri was pissed.
She slammed the two-handed hammer into the chest of one of the bandits, sending him flying back to land on the floor in a heap, his ribcage all but crushed. Honestly, Miri hated fighting, despised it really, that’s why she stuck to crafting in most games, relying on Shadow to bring her the materials she needed. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t fight, of course, as evidenced by her swift and accurate swings, felling another bandit as she crushed her skull with a feint, she just didn’t like it.
She also didn’t like that she was getting a frankly ludicrous amount of experience from the bandits, remembering how hard it had been just to reach level five before Jake had shown up with his bag full of materials, allowing her to work around the clock to complete Commissions. She had barely managed to reach level ten in time to join the party on their Quest, having worked her ass off for it, and now she was glaring at the notifications that popped up in front of her.
Skill [Two-handed Weapons] has levelled up.
Skill [Two-handed Weapons] has levelled up.
You have gained a large amount of experience.
Experience modifier detected.
Calculating…
You have gained a huge amount of experience.
You have levelled up to level 11!
Allocating Stat Points…
Stat Points Allocated.
Skill [Two-handed Weapons] has levelled up.
In the space of five minutes, the dedicated crafter had gained another level and several in her combat Skill, something she only had because of the starter Quest. She had almost cried when she’d smashed the poor bunny back at Dusk Keep, though mostly because she’s ruined its materials. The memory made her angrier, slamming her hammer into another bandit and sending them flying backwards to join their gasping companion on the floor.
------
Sophia was annoyed.
She was a Mage specialising in Fire Magic, but she couldn’t use her better Spells in their current environment. Thanks to the trees around them, she was limited to using her basic Fire Bolt Spell, and then, only able to fire it off when she was sure she had a direct hit to avoid possibly setting the entire forest ablaze. Why hadn’t she returned to Dusk Keep earlier than the rest of the party and swapped it out for something more potent? Now she was stuck with the weak Spell, taking at least three direct hits to fell a single bandit.
You have gained a large amount of experience.
Experience modifier detected.
Calculating…
You have gained a huge amount of experience.
You have levelled up to level 11!
Allocating Stat Points…
Stat Points Allocated.
The notifications almost startled her, Sophie dismissing them and mentally changing the settings in an instant. She glanced over to Goldrun, the man struggling against a particularly dextrous bandit, barely blocking her twin blades. Sophie knew that it was because the woman was set on attacking her, the Defender doing his job and protecting the Mage, but he was suffering for it. He’d already had to be healed a half dozen times by Holi, and Sophie was worried that their Priestess would soon run out of Mana.
Goldrun suddenly shouted, drawing her attention as she saw him sweep his shield sideways, knocking the bandit off balance, his mace swinging at her side. Gritting her teeth, Sophie quickly cast a Spell she’d never bothered to use before, being a Buff of sorts, while she was aiming to be a damage dealer. She’d only learned it to fill out her roster, and it was the only other available Spell at her current level.
“Ignite Weapon!” she shouted as she cast the Spell, the head of the mace bursting into flame just as it struck the woman in the chest, throwing her to the side as the flame stuck to her cloth armour, hopefully sapping a few more points of Health from the wily bandit.
Goldrun nodded to her appreciatively as he stepped towards the fallen woman, bringing his mace down on her head as she tried to stand, cracking her skull open in a spray of muted gore. Sophie was still under eighteen after all, so the violence of the game was muted for her, something she wasn’t about to complain about, not being too fond of the sight of blood. Shaking her head, she gasped as five of the eleven remaining bandits suddenly charged them, two going for Goldrun while the other two piled on top of one of the few remaining guards, the others all lying dead or dying on the ground.
The fifth bandit shot past them, jumping up onto the side of the carriage and yanking open the door with a wide grin. The expression was quickly swapped for one of shock as the longsword pierced his chest, straight through his heart, before a foot kicked him back, a lithe figure jumping out of the carriage wielding a simple yet elegant sword.
“There’s the bitch!” one of the bandits shouted, “Grab her!”
Seven of the bandits suddenly jumped back, disengaging from their current targets before charging towards the woman, who had just stood up with a look of fury in her red eyes. The look was quickly replaced by surprise as the seven figures darted towards her, Sophie swearing under her breath as she cast another Spell.
“Please do not set the forest on fire!” she hissed as she swept her arm up, “Fire Wall!”
The twenty-foot-wide wall of flames sprung up on one side of the young woman, blocking four of the bandits as the other three continued their charge, weapons raised to strike. Goldrun let out a yell as he shoved past the bandit that was still engaged with him, throwing the man to the floor as he shot forwards. Sophie gasped as he managed to block all three strikes on his shield, the force of the combined attacks pushing him back a foot as he grunted loudly. She couldn’t help but notice the look of appreciation of Lady Dusk’s face as the man saved her.
A lance of pain shot through her head, Sophie groaning as she looked at her dangerously low Mana, almost completely gone after the two Spells. A chuckle drew her attention as she saw the bandit that had been knocked over jump to his feet, coming right for her. With a grimace, she stowed her wand, pulling her staff from her inventory as she glared at the man.
“I’m not going down that easy!” she shouted as she swung the pole, the bandit blocking it with his blade, “Come and get me, asshole!”
“Healing Fields!” the shout startled them both, Sophie looking over at Holi as the Priestess collapsed to her knees, clutching her own head, obviously out of Mana after casting her AoE Heal Spell.
The moment of distraction saw Sophie gasp as the blade stabbed into her shoulder, looking back at the bandit as he jumped back, a sick grin on his face. The pain was already fading as Sophie prepared herself once again.
“Go to hell, you worthless fuck!”
------
Holistic Healer, or Holi to her friends and party, was in pain as she downed the Mana Potion, restoring twenty points of her Mana. She barely managed to stagger to her feet as she cast her Heal Spell on Goldrun, using up half the Mana she’d just gained to boost the Defender as he struggled to fight off three opponents at once, the noble lady they were supposed to be protecting fighting alongside him. Grimacing, she downed another Mana Potion, bringing her dwindling Mana up to thirty.
You have consumed two Mana Potions within thirty seconds.
[Minor Mana Sickness] becomes [Lesser Mana Sickness]
She ignored the notification as she cast Heal on Goldrun again, pain lancing through her head as she did so. A shout from beside her made her look over to see a bandit that had apparently jumped through Sophie’s wall of fire charging at her, his weapon raised. She brought her Iron Healing Staff up to block the strike, before she felt a blast of air pass over her shoulder, the man stumbling before collapsing to the ground with an arrow in his forehead.
Looking behind her, she saw Jake stowing his bow as Eta harassed the World Boss behind him, crouching down to grab his blades from where he’d dropped them to the floor, racing back to rejoin the wolf in holding the bandit leader back.
Gritting her teeth, Holi downed her last Mana Potion, ignoring the notification telling her that her [Lesser Mana Sickness] had become [Mana Sickness], the potions sitting heavy in her stomach. She turned back to Goldrun, casting another Heal Spell on him as he and Lady Dusk had managed to kill two of the three bandits, but she could also see that Sophie’s Fire Wall was starting to run out, the Mage engaged in melee combat with another bandit.
“This is not going well,” she muttered, quickly casting Heal again.
------
Jake was struggling.
Even with Eta to help him and only a five-level difference, he was barely able to keep up with the surprisingly swift man in front of him. Oswald was still standing tall, even with his body covered in bites and cuts, several bleeding heavily, an amused look on his face. Jake had only managed to grab a single moment earlier to drink a Health Potion and shoot a bandit that had been going for Holi before reengaging with the World Boss, the flame in his chest burning hotly the entire time.
“Hmmmph,” the man said as he looked past Jake, his expression morphing into one of annoyance as he slung his axe over his shoulder, “This is taking too long. How many of my people have you lot killed; do you suppose?”
“Most of them,” Jake replied, readying himself for the man’s next attack, “And you’ll be joining them soon enough.”
“Would really rather not,” Oswald laughed, before shouting loudly, “Everyone who’s still breathing, retreat! This isn’t worth that brats’ gold anymore!”
“What?” Jake blinked as the man turned away from him, starting to walk back into the forest, the flame in his chest flaring in annoyance, “Where do you think you’re going?”
“We’re retreating,” Oswald hummed, looking back at Jake, “But know this, Traveller. I’m going to be keeping an eye out for you. Maybe you’ll be worthy of learning why they call me ‘Flame Axe’ one day!”
Jake blinked as the man suddenly threw something to the ground, a large cloud of smoke erupting at his feet. Jake charged forwards into it, finding only empty air as the smoke quickly faded, leaving him looking around in confusion and disappointment.
“Jakey!” the shout drew his attention as he turned to see Andy and the rest of his party rushing over to him and Eta, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but the bandit leader got away.”
“That’s okay,” Sophie sighed, Jake spotting the several holes in her robe, each stained with blood, “We were too close to being overwhelmed anyway, so it’s a good thing they all retreated.”
“The leader said something weird, though,” Jake muttered as he watched the others start to discuss how many levels they’d gained during the fight, Shadow boasting about how he was now level twelve, “Who would have paid them to do all this?”